Forever Mine

SIX

A soft knock at the door had Roxy snorting awake. Dazed by the minimal sleep she'd had, it took a few moments for her to gather her bearings in the new room. Without the walls of the small bedroom she'd grown up in pressing against her bed, she'd feared of rolling straight off the edge of the king bed she now laid in. During her sleepless night, her eyes had darted about the new shadows anxiously and her ears had been on high alert for any threat. But it'd been the homesickness that had kept her awake and sobbing into her pillow, along with the heartache of Isaac not only wanting her but literally running away at the sight of her. Eventually her sobs must've sent her into a sleep for a few hours.

There was another knock and Roxy pulled herself upright before swinging her bare feet down to the cool floorboards and padding over to the door. She scrubbed at her face as she walked, feeling her skin was still tight from her dried tears. No doubt her waves would be a knotty mess on her head. Plastering a smile onto her face, she swung the door open to reveal Kayla, a picture of perfection compared to the state Roxy was in. The bright smile she wore suddenly slipped at her appearance, a concerned frown knitting her manicured eyebrows together.

'Oh, Roxy. You look terrible.' Kayla peaked past her, her eyes finding the tangled sheets on the bed. 'First nights can always be rough. I'm sorry Isaac hasn't been to see you yet. There was some sort of emergency on the patrol and he had to pull a double shift. He'll be back soon though.'

Roxy chewed the inside of her cheek and forced another smile. Isaac had done a good job of fooling the people around him. Every part of her wanted to expose the act he'd been putting on. But it was obvious Kayla idolised her big brother, for reasons Roxy couldn't figure out, and she didn't have the heart to destroy her admiration. Not on the first day.

'I don't sleep well in new places.' Roxy folded her arms across her chest tightly. 'Is there a reason why you're standing in front of my door so early?'

A blush dusted Kayla's face. 'I was wondering if you'd like to join me for breakfast and then I was thinking I could give you a tour. I forgot to ask, how are you feeling? Did the soup help?'

Roxy was puzzled as to what she was referring to before she quickly remembered the tiny white lie she'd told to avoid meeting the pack members last night. 'Oh yes, thank you. Long days of travelling doesn't always agree with me. I'm feeling much better.'

A relieved smile filled Kayla's face. 'Strange to think that our domesticated cousins love car rides so much, huh?'

Roxy couldn't help but laugh while nodding. 'Give me fifteen minutes to get ready and then I'll meet you downstairs?'

'Okay. I'll go pick the fruit for our waffles,' said Kayla excitedly before racing down the hallway.

Roxy envied the girl's positive attitude as she turned back into her room, slamming the door after her. Ever since the rejection she'd felt like every bit of sunshine had been sucked out of her. She looked to the bed then to the pile of books sitting on her nightstand. All she wanted to do was curl up under the blankets and absorb herself in a reality that wasn't her own, allowing her favourite authors to take her on all sorts of adventures. On adventures far, far away from her soulmate who was apparently roaming about outside.

Finding the strength to push her pity party aside, she made her way to the wardrobe where her unpacked bags still sat on the floor. She'd hoped that Trent and Cleo would've figured out what the rogues wanted before she'd even have to unpack. But she knew those chances were slim, if not unrealistic. With a sad sigh she got down on the floor and flipped the lid on her suitcase. Clothes went flying about as she rummaged for something suitable to wear. Not that there was much of a range. Shirts and shorts were her go-to outfits. But she would be getting introduced to the pack members as their Luna, whether Isaac wanted to acknowledge that or not. A good impression was in order. At the bottom of the case, she pulled out a red summer dress patterned with small white flowers. Perfect.